a little retail therapy

I was feeling a little flat yesterday and thought a little retail therapy might cheer me up. I remembered that I had a Westfields shopping voucher and some cash from my grandmother for my birthday, so I ducked up to our local shopping centre with Zoe in tow.

I'm reluctant to buy too much clothing for myself at the moment, given I'm still desperately trying to drop some kilos, so in the end I bought some clothes for my little munchkins.

Miss Zoe scored herself this above Country Road ensemble to go with her skinny leg jeans. And my big boy Josh scored his own pair of CR skinny leg jeans as well as some khaki canvas trainers. I got Josh to try on the jeans when I got home. They fit perfectly - but my three and a half year old suddenly looked about seven! He looked so grown up!

I was pretty pleased with my retail efforts and was certainly cheered up! Buying for the kids is just as rewarding as buying for myself. Do you find that too?

Have you got any recent retail therapy experiences to share? Pretty please?

any ideas for fathers day?

Isn't this just the sweetest thing you ever did see?

I'm currently stumped on ideas for father's day gifts for my hubby, so I started digging around on Etsy and found this little store, the belle and the beau. I'm too late to order this from the US I think, but it was so totally cute I couldn't not share it with you all!

I also found this little gem from here......

This would be perfect for my hubby. We have this little area underneath our back deck that the boys go in to do 'boy stuff'......whatever that means. Ever since we moved in here just over a year ago, my hubby has nicknamed this area the 'man cave'. I didn't realise this was such a popular name for a designated area for males, but there you have it. I might have to whip up my own version of this!

My dad on the other hand, he's easy. I think I'll be getting him one of these:

a Keep Cup! My dad loves his coffee and I can help him love the earth at the same time. In fact I wouldn't mind one myself.

Have you chosen something for your dad (or you children's dad) for fathers day yet? Got any fabulous ideas for me you'd like to share? (hint, hint....)

spring is in the air

Have you noticed Spring is in the air? It's just around the corner. 

Everywhere I turn, new life is forming. Every plant has new little buds forming just waiting to burst in flower. There is a sense of anticipation. Yes, the air still carries a chill, but that will soon go, and a breath of warm air will come to thaw us out.

What's your favourite season?

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just saying...

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at my house

At my house today.........

the stealing of yellow highlighters to decorate one's face!

What's happening at your house? 

Play here.

friday loveliness from germany

The Germans really do know how to make beautiful toys, do they not?

Here is a little treasury of toys from LOUyLOU that I loved. All of their products are carefully designed to improve nearness and balance between family needs, design principles, eco-friendly materials and affordable costs. All the toys have emerged as an alternative to game consoles, plastic and aggressive, nonsustainable products. Great thinking!

You can check out their website here for more lovely products.

thank goodness for friday

Who doesn't love Friday?

It means the end of a week, it means daddy will be home for the next two days, it means having a coffee and babycino with my little man after grocery shopping on Sunday, it means going for a jog on my own and enjoying the neighourhood while I exercise.

And this weekend?

It means getting to go out with some friends for brunch in Balmain for a hens day.

I SO can't wait!!

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weekend

The weekend is nearly here, and I'd love to go through my wardrobe. I've now lost about 6kgs and lots of things are starting to fit again! I love it. I've even bought a few new things to wear.

I'm glad to have my hubby around too. I love spending time with my little family of four. Nothing is better. I'm kind of keen to head to the zoo this weekend if the weather is good. Love seeing Josh and Zoe's faces when they see all the animals.

What are you up to this weekend?

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little chairs for little people

Just wanted to share this great find. I can't remember how I came across this site originally now, but I'm glad I did, as these chairs are so cute!  Lelbys make contemporary style bean chairs and throw rugs for children. They are designed by Lesley Gordon who was having a lot of trouble finding a chair for her then one year old that fit in with the colour tones of her living area. I think a lot of mums have had this dilemma! So Lesley came up with her own chair and thus Lelbys was born!

There are a few ranges of the Lelbys chairs, but my favourite is the Damask Blue chair in the picture above. Lelbys chairs even come in a faux fur which might be like getting a great big cuddle from a teddy bear!

You can buy these chairs directly from the Lelbys website or the Australian online store The Little Haven. Go and have a look!

sumptuous

I've always loved music - I love playing it, I love singing along with it, and I love listening to it. There is something therapeutic in it for me, and I can just be swept away in the beauty of it, and be taken somewhere else for just a little while.

That's why I am so very excited today. I just got myself tickets to see this lovely lady perform live at the Sydney Opera House with the Chamber Orchestra at Sumptuous. I can't think of anything more truly divine.

I've been waiting to see Katie Noonan for some time, but each time she was playing in Sydney it was never appropriate or I had something else on. This time, nothing is in my way, and I'm so excited that this will be with the orchestra as well. Last year I saw Tim Freedman play with an orchestra at the State Theatre and that too was just amazing. I'm expecting Katie Noonan to be the same, probably better again.

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happy birthday to me

So, I'm another year older. 

It was my birthday on Sunday, and I had the best day. More than I could have asked for. A whole day with my family around me, enjoying a homemade meal for lunch, and blowing out candles with my children. 

I'm such a blessed lady.

what does a baby smell like?

Before I had children, I always used to think that all babies smelled like Johnson & Johnson's baby products. It's such a familiar, nice, cute smell. Well, I think so anyway. Then I had my own children, and my favourite baby wipes turned out to be the J&J ones too, especially the fragranced ones that had that familiar smell. Thankfully, my babies bottoms agreed with the fragrance as well, and we've always been able to use them.

I've been a very lucky lady, and recently was sent a very generous Johnson & Johnson hamper by Kidspot Baby Club, to try out a whole range of lovely baby products. This included some baby wipes which I was very pleased about, but also some creams and bathing products. I've been using it all over the last few weeks, and have to say I'm a bit of a fan of the Naturals range. It smells wonderful (yes, I'm a bit partial to things that smell good!) and is really creamy and delicious on my little people's skin. My two have had their fair share of eczema and dry skin, particularly now it's winter, and the creams have proven perfect for restoring moisture back. There is even one with SPF15+ which is brilliant during the day while moisturising at the same time!

Thanks Kidspot Baby Club for the opportunity to use all these great products.

This blog post was sponsored by Kidspot's Baby Club. It's a lovely space for mums and mums-to-be to get together, chat, share, relate and even win some goodies. The best thing is that you can visit at any time of day or night, and if you haven't had time to shower or do your hair, no one will notice (and there's a pretty good chance no one else has either). Pop over now and register. Connect with other mums today.

hello, remember me?

Well look who's back!

Yes, moi. I've missed being here and reading all my fave blogs. I've had a bit of a crazy few weeks, with the latest drama being I've been to emergency a few times with gallbladder attacks. It seems I need to get the wretched thing out now, so am off to a surgeon next week to organise that.

Anyway, I'm ok at the moment. But it's time to get back to bloggy land. I really need to catch up on some reading, plus I've got some thoughts I'd love to get down in the next few days. 

See you again soon.

Image: irenesuchocki